Mininova helps musicians monetize their BitTorrent downloads

According to a post at TorrentFreak this is something that Mininova will be changing. In a move to encourage even more artists to use their service and possibly to prove to labels that BitTorrent is a valid alternative marketplace Mininova has launched an addition to their distribution service. Starting today artist, in just a few clicks, will be able to add links to CDs, concert tickets and other merchandising products that they want to sell alongside the torrent download link.

The new feature integrates a link to products in the artist’s myshopify.com store, as the record label Beep! Beep! has done with one of their latest releases.

The label even gives Mininova users a 20% discount for helping out with seeding. According to the label, the reason why they have decided to give all their albums away for free is simple. “Because it’s only fair not to pay for something you haven’t heard yet,” they say.

“In our opinion torrents are an excellent way to present you with our music. That’s why Beep! Beep! and Mininova have teamed up. We like the fact that you’re taking the effort to get to know new music. In fact, we’d like to thank you for downloading and seeding our music by giving you a discount on our hardcopies,” the label announced.

I gotta admit this is a pretty cool feature to see added and in my opinion actually puts Mininova a definite step above The Pirate Bay.